PPAF conducts training sessions for communities in collaboration with Italian Agency for Development Cooperation

November 12, 2019

Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) in collaboration with Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and Luiss Business School, Italy commenced a series of training sessions around youth, education, health and nutrition to enhance knowledge of community members on core issues concerning these topics and equip individuals with new learning opportunities. These trainings are envisioned for communities benefitting from Italian government funded PPAF’s Program for Poverty Reduction (PPR) in KP, Balochistan & FATA. The first training pertaining to initiatives for youth began at the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR).

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Ms. Emanuela Benini, Director, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Pakistan, Ms. Simi Kamal, Head of Programmes PPAF and Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, Head of PCRWR. Ms. Benini lauded the efforts of PPAF towards poverty eradication and stressed on the need to adopt innovative approach to tackle poverty. She said the role of youth is pertinent in this regard. “Youth can play a pivotal role in driving change and through our community based training sessions in partnership with PPAF, we aim to familiarize them with innovative ways to practice change & impact their communities positively.”

Speaking on this occasion, Head of Programmes at PPAF, Ms Simi Kamal said, “The core purpose of this training is to explore standardized tools which could be used to banish poverty and empower individuals. This shall truly enable them to be the agents of change for their people. For over 20 years PPAF has served the underprivileged and by using our experience & knowledge we continue to embark on this journey with the same zeal.”
Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, Head of PCRWR shared similar thoughts and said, “Youth is the pillar of the society with an urge to achieve new heights and it is time we invest in them to reap a brighter future. Knowledge without implementation is nothing therefore it is imperative on everyone to seek knowledge and then practice it to bring change within their communities.”

The week long first training session being organized by PPAF will feature Italian instructors from Luiss Business School, who will be shed light on topics regarding economic development, innovation, sustainability and implementation of smart solutions.

Community members from various parts of Pakistan including Balochistan, KPK, FATA and Sindh came for the training with an active representation of female community members as well. One of the community activists, Sharry Rafiq shared her view on the training and said, “I am from district Awaran, Baluchistan, my district was established in 1992 yet to date there is not even a single girls college in my area. I aspire to change the situation and want to make female education accessible.”

The training sessions are specifically designed keeping in mind the various needs of community members. Sessions on women leadership, youth inclusion, entrepreneurship and economic development will help individuals garner key insights and learn about modern practices which could drive change for their communities.

As one of the largest sources of pro-poor spending in the country, the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund is the lead agency for poverty reduction in Pakistan. It embodies the spirit of public-private partnership to address the multi-dimensional issues of poverty with a view to achieving social and economic change. PPAF outreach extends throughout Pakistan as it has partnered with 130 organizations working in over 100,000 villages/settlements with more than 133,000 community organizations and 440,000 credit/common interest groups at the grassroots level in 137 districts.